(Avignon) The massive Palais des Papes, the powerful walls and eight high towers of which still dominate the city, is both an outstanding achievement of Late Gothic architecture and a highly visible emblem of the most glorious period of Avignon’s history. Its sprawling and dissonant appearance expresses the turbulent period in which it was erected and the diverse characters of the men responsible for its construction. It is, in fact, two distinct palaces: the Palais Vieux built by Benedict XII and the Palais Neuf undertaken by Clement VI. Both palaces were renovated by later popes and by the papal legates who continued to use the building after the Papacy’s return to Rome in 1378. When Clement V first moved to Avignon in 1309 he lived in the city’s Dominican priory or in nearby castles. His successor, John XXII, who had been Archbishop of Avignon, resided in the old Archbishop’s Palace next to the cathedral. John enlarged and refurbished this building as the papal court expanded, but by the election of Benedict XII (...